Gasoline Tanker Explodes On I-75 N of Detroit

[fantom1979]

Tanker fire in Hazel Park closes I-75; overpass collapses | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press (http://www.freep.com/article/20090715/NEWS03/90715083/1001/rss01)

Gasoline tanker explodes north of Detroit - USATODAY.com (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-07-15-detroit_N.htm?csp=34)

HAZEL PARK, Mich. (AP) — A gasoline tanker explosion has forced the shutdown of an interstate highway in suburban Detroit.
Interstate 75 in Hazel Park, about 10 miles north of Detroit, was shut down Wednesday evening.
There are no immediate reports of injuries, although radio station WWJ says at least two tractor-trailers and two other vehicles were involved.
The station says the tanker was carrying 9,000 gallons of gasoline at the time of the crash about 8:30 p.m. Witnesses say flames are reaching 150 to 200 feet into the air, and gas that has reached the swers along the freeway also has caught fire.
Fire crews are on the scene.

I work midnights in Detroit, looks like I will be finding another way to work tonight. 9 mile road overpass has collapsed.

http://www.wxyz.com/media/news/7/5/2/7521579c-7dbd-4fcc-aba0-bc626c8d3a02/Original.jpg

http://www.wxyz.com/media/news/2/0/e/20e302db-1e23-4fc5-98cf-e80cc6232d19/Original.jpg



Hopefully everyone got out of there unharmed. The hazel park police have apparently talked to one of the truck drivers already, so I am hoping for the best.

[DaddyTorgo]

holy fuck

[Noop]

holy fuck

Pretty much sums it up for me as well.

[fantom1979]

http://media2.myfoxdetroit.com//photo/2009/07/15/tanker_20090715213222_640_480.JPG

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I got a few pics of the smoke on my mom's camera...

We were about to head through there a little after 8p and decided to stop & pick up some shrimp before hitting I-75. I was down on 7 mile & noticed a bit of smoke start to come across the sky.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

dola

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/8497/dsc1091p.jpg

[sterlingice]

Yeah, like that city needs more bad news...

SI

[Honolulu_Blue]

This is about a mile from my house and the highway I take to and from work. Luckily, I left work earlyish tonight.

I hope everyone's ok.

Looks like I will need to find an alternate way into work tomorrow.

[DeToxRox]

This is about a mile from my house and the highway I take to and from work. Luckily, I left work earlyish tonight.

I hope everyone's ok.

Looks like I will need to find an alternate way into work tomorrow.

Someone isn't gonna Dodge the Lodge.

[fantom1979]

I had to take 696 to 94 to get downtown for work tonight. I would imagine that if you live west of 75, the lodge would be your best bet.

[DeToxRox]

I had to take 696 to 94 to get downtown for work tonight. I would imagine that if you live west of 75, the lodge would be your best bet.

Where downtown do you work at? And is it near Lafayette Coney? And if so .. Well, you should really not be selfish and bring a few towards Berkley.

[fantom1979]

Ha. I work next to the old tiger stadium at michigan and bagley.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

696 to 94? Dude... if you wanted to go out of the way, why not drive 75 north to 275, then take that down to where it hits 75, then go north to work? :D

You could have just got off at Dequindre and taken that down to Base Line road, then back to 75. a detour of about two miles instead of an extra 20 or so. :P

[Balldog]

The live news reporting last night was absolutely brutal.

They were basically reporting anything that anyone on the street told them as facts. Channel 7 was reporting at least 2 deaths, a fire truck was on the overpass when it collapsed, a truck that cops had pulled over was involved, a man walking with a backpack down the middle of the highway was to blame.

Luckily I get to take M59 to work.

[fantom1979]

696 to 94? Dude... if you wanted to go out of the way, why not drive 75 north to 275, then take that down to where it hits 75, then go north to work? :D

You could have just got off at Dequindre and taken that down to Base Line road, then back to 75. a detour of about two miles instead of an extra 20 or so. :P

I get on 696 at Schoenherr, so it really isn't that far out of the way. It isn't like I got on at I75 and then decided to drive 20 miles in the other direction. :)

[Abe Sargent]

I actually ha dpeople call me last night to make sure I wasn;t i in it. I'm like 0 I live inMid-Town Detroit, what am I doing at Nine Mile, but they wanted to make sure anyway.

[Butter]

So, how long are they thinking it will be before that gets repaired? And how bad is that going to make traffic in the area in the meantime?

[Honolulu_Blue]

The live news reporting last night was absolutely brutal.

They were basically reporting anything that anyone on the street told them as facts. Channel 7 was reporting at least 2 deaths, a fire truck was on the overpass when it collapsed, a truck that cops had pulled over was involved, a man walking with a backpack down the middle of the highway was to blame.

Luckily I get to take M59 to work.

I totally agree. My sister called me and my wife and told us about the accident, since she could smell the tanker burning from her apartment. So, we turned on the news and were able to stomach all of 10 minutes of coverage. It was ridiculous.

[Honolulu_Blue]

So, how long are they thinking it will be before that gets repaired? And how bad is that going to make traffic in the area in the meantime?

Not sure yet. There was some talk that they could have the highway open as early as Saturday, but the overpass will need to be completely rebuilt.

It wont be that bad traffic wise. It's a good bit north of downtown and there are quite a few alternate routes around there. I live just north of there and that's the main highway I take to and from work. I tend to avoid that area in the mornings and on the way home the closure will mean an extra 5-10 minutes tops.

[fantom1979]

Some raw video of the fire

http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/20069223/
(http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/20069223/index.html)

[fantom1979]

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20090716&Category=NEWS05&ArtNo=907160605&Ref=AR&Profile=1007&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

[Passacaglia]

I actually ha dpeople call me last night to make sure I wasn;t i in it. I'm like 0 I live inMid-Town Detroit, what am I doing at Nine Mile, but they wanted to make sure anyway.

I dunno -- the Detroit area seems to have that quality that you could find yourself pretty much anywhere for whatever reason. Maybe I just feel that way since in Detroit I've only lived in the burbs, while in Chicago I've only lived in the city.

[fantom1979]

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20090716&Category=METRO02&ArtNo=907160458&Ref=AR

[M GO BLUE!!!]

My favorite awful coverage moment:

Anchor: We now head to the scene where (the reporter) has an eyewitness who saw the crash occur.

Reporter: Well, (witness) did not actually see the crash, but heard it. What did you hear?

Witness: Well, I didn't actually hear it. I was at home washing dishes and i saw something happened at what I thought was the senior citizen complex. I thought they were bombing it or something.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Seems like an awfully extreme way to get some stimulus money.

[Toddzilla]

Seems like an awfully extreme way to get some stimulus money.:lol: fuckin' hard

[BigDawg]

Whats crazy is noone was killed, just a couple of injuries to the two truck drivers. Seems theirs was a delay of 3-4 mins from when the gas truck over turned and when it exploded.

I use to live 4 blocks from that intersection from like 90-98, that is the MAIN feed between Detroit and the northern suburbs and if that happened 2 hours earlier their would have been dozens of killed as cars are packed together at that intersection/

[Tigercat]

Has there been any word if the truck impacted the supports and that caused the initial overpass colapse or if the fire did the overpass in?

Just curious for all those 9/11 conspiracy nutjobs out there.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Has there been any word if the truck impacted the supports and that caused the initial overpass colapse or if the fire did the overpass in?

Just curious for all those 9/11 conspiracy nutjobs out there.

The fire did the overpass in.

[BigDawg]

Yup, 2500 deg F was the temp of the fire, melted all the steal on the overpass.

On a side note I kind of feel sorry for the guy who know is said to have caused the mess, some 27 year old who just got his license 2 months ago, police said no alcohal was involved but are waiting to decied if anything to charge him with.

Why do I feel sorry for him well the news reporters are at his condo door LIVE on air knocking and knocking but noone answers, so now he will be hounded than displayed by tv news for all to see.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Yup, 2500 deg F was the temp of the fire, melted all the steal on the overpass.

On a side note I kind of feel sorry for the guy who know is said to have caused the mess, some 27 year old who just got his license 2 months ago, police said no alcohal was involved but are waiting to decied if anything to charge him with.

Why do I feel sorry for him well the news reporters are at his condo door LIVE on air knocking and knocking but noone answers, so now he will be hounded than displayed by tv news for all to see.

I drive that bend every day and 70 MPH is pretty fast for it. Not recklessly fast (I'm usually around 60-65 MPH), but I can definitely see how he lost control a bit at the speed. The bend isn't quite as gradual as it looks.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

The 27 year old should have to pay for this. :)

[Abe Sargent]

We drove up John R past it today on our way to Royal Oak and saw it. It was crazy.

[fantom1979]

I drive that bend every day and 70 MPH is pretty fast for it. Not recklessly fast (I'm usually around 60-65 MPH), but I can definitely see how he lost control a bit at the speed. The bend isn't quite as gradual as it looks.

I do 70 on it every day in a newer Pontiac Grand Prix. I don't think it is excessive, but I wouldn't recommend doing it if

1. You are not familiar with the curve.
2. You just got your license
3. You are not driving a car that can handle
4. In heavy traffic
5. Next to a tanker truck
6. It is raining or snowing


I believe our 27 year old driver failed at least a couple of these.

[fantom1979]

<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=42.461226,-83.106093&amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&amp;sspn=23.875,57.630033&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=42.45937,-83.10874&amp;spn=0.037422,0.090895&amp;z=14&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=42.461226,-83.106093&amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&amp;sspn=23.875,57.630033&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=42.45937,-83.10874&amp;spn=0.037422,0.090895&amp;z=14&amp;source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>

[fantom1979]

.

[Honolulu_Blue]

As if you didn't need any further reason NOT to read the comment sections on newspaper websites, there are comments to the Free Press's story on the driver that state that the driver (Saied Haidarian-Shari) is a terrorist and purposefully orchestrated the whole thing as a terrorist attack on the highway and overpass.

I hate people sometimes.

[fantom1979]

As if you didn't need any further reason NOT to read the comment sections on newspaper websites, there are comments to the Free Press's story on the driver that state that the driver (Saied Haidarian-Shari) is a terrorist and purposefully orchestrated the whole thing as a terrorist attack on the highway and overpass.

I hate people sometimes.

sigh

[fantom1979]

I was just looking at the traffic cameras for this area and it looks like SB I-75 is now open.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Obviously the over pass is completely wiped out still, but both directions of the highway are open. All lanes are a go. Pretty impressive job considering it was an inferno less than a week ago.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Since this is sort of on topic, but doesn't deserve it's own thread.

This is why the sound of a helicopter woke me up around 5:00 am or so this morning. It sounded like the helicopter was in my front yard it was so loud.

Driver held after fatal hit-and-run in Royal Oak | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press (http://www.freep.com/article/20090720/NEWS03/90720012/Driver--24--held-after-fatal-hit-and-run-in-Royal-Oak)

Driver held after fatal hit-and-run in Royal Oak

A man is dead and two are critically injured after a driver police say was “highly intoxicated” slammed into their car on an I-696 off-ramp in Royal Oak.

Wearing a Jagermeister T-shirt, a 24-year-old Madison Heights man explained to a Warren McDonald’s drive-through worker he had been drinking, which caused him to almost hit the fast-food restaurant at 1:49 a.m.

Just minutes later, after the drive-through worker called police, a driver heading west on I-696 reported the white truck hit her car while speeding down the highway, Michigan State Police Sgt. Jeff Munoz said. Then, just after 2 a.m., the white Chevrolet Silverado trying to get off the highway at the Woodward Avenue exit, slammed into a minivan on the ramp carrying four people.

“He struck the victims’ vehicle, pushing it up the Woodward exit, and he continued on,” Munoz said.

The man continued on north on Main Street into Royal Oak, where he abandoned the truck. But a Royal Oak Police dog, assisted by officers from Madison Heights and Warren, searched the area for nearly four hours as the suspect hid in bushes and yards. Finally, at about 6 a.m., officers on a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted the man, who was arrested and is expected to be arraigned in 44th District court in Royal Oak tomorrow.

“We believe he was trying to get back to his residence,” Munoz said, adding that the suspect does not have any drunken driving convictions on his record. “Had that (U.S. Coast Guard) aviation (unit) not done that, he may have gotten away from us.”

Munoz said the van was registered to a metro Detroit man who was so delirious after the accident they could not determine where any of the passengers were from.

The driver, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered bumps and bruises. The two passengers were in critical condition at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak today.

[fantom1979]

Good grief.

[JeeberD]

“We believe he was trying to get back to his residence,” Munoz said, adding that the suspect does not have any drunken driving convictions on his record. “Had that (U.S. Coast Guard) aviation (unit) not done that, he may have gotten away from us.”

He abandoned his truck...seems like that's a good way to figure out where he lives.

[RomaGoth]

He abandoned his truck...seems like that's a good way to figure out where he lives.

+1

[fantom1979]

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20090722&Category=METRO02&ArtNo=907220345&Ref=AR&Profile=1409

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20090722&Category=METRO02&ArtNo=907220345&Ref=V2&Profile=1409

Royal Oak -- A 24-year-old Madison Heights man with a history of license suspensions was drunk and traveling 95 mph when his pickup slammed into a minivan occupied by four Royal Oak men, killing one and injuring the others, authorities say.
Thomas Scott Grobbel was charged Tuesday with nine driving offenses, including operating while intoxicated causing death and manslaughter with a motor vehicle, in connection with the crash early Monday at Interstate 696 at Woodward Avenue.
Royal Oak District Magistrate Donald Chisholm ordered Grobbel held in the Oakland County Jail in lieu of $1 million cash bond. The crash killed Andrew Gene Ross, 23; and seriously injured Ross' father, Andrew Gene Doran, 45, and Jerald Nicholas Charest, 25.
A fourth passenger in the van, Michael William Myke, 33, suffered minor injuries.
Chisholm said he agreed with Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Carmine Defranco that Grobbel presented a risk to the community and was a flight risk because he allegedly left the scene of the 2 a.m. crash.
"Based on the severity of the event and based on the substantial amount of time between the crash and before you (decided) not to be forthcoming, it shows an attempt to evade the consequences of your conduct," Chisholm said.
As several of Grobbel's relatives and friends sobbed openly in the courtroom, Grobbel stood quietly before Chisholm, his head bowed. Grobbel provided one-word answers to most questions, except whether he needed an attorney to represent him.
"At this point, I'm not sure, your honor," he said quietly. "I haven't spoken to anyone yet."
Grobbel, who has a July 31 preliminary exam in district court, is also charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing injury, a five-year felony; two counts of felonious driving, two-year felonies; and two counts of failure to stop at a serious accident causing impairment -- in reference to the two other men who suffered serious injuries.
Grobbel's driving record reveals five suspensions since March 2002, primarily for failing to appear in court on some matters and late payment of traffic tickets or fees in others.
State records show he has not had a driving violation since last December, when his license was last reinstated.
Outside the courtroom, a visibly grief-stricken Greg Strube, Grobbel's uncle, summarized the feelings of several of those attending the proceeding, many too overcome by emotion to talk to reporters.
"A lot of lives have been affected by this," Strube said. "It's really tragic and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all those affected."
Investigators said Grobbel was driving his 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup erratically at a McDonald's restaurant in Warren shortly before the crash in Royal Oak, and that he narrowly avoided colliding with another vehicle on westbound I-696.
Michigan State Police Sgt. Jeff Munoz said Grobbel -- who was tracked down and arrested following the crash with the help of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter -- was still "highly intoxicated."

[DaddyTorgo]

we need to lock up more shitty drivers

[fantom1979]

we need to lock up more shitty drivers

This guy is not only a shitty driver, he is also a complete dumbass. More of those can be locked up as well.